When I was a kid the Lego 8860 car is how I learned about differential gears. It also had a 3-speed manual transmission, rack and pinion steering, and independent rear suspension plus more mundane things like adjustable seats, moving pistons, and a fan belt. That set was really great.
Perhaps someone can explain if I'm wrong here, but this really seems to be an automatic transmission based on a centrifugal clutch, which automatic transmissions don't actually use. Is this right?